POSCO Chemical has completed the construction of the world’s largest cathode material plant in Gwangyang, which will have an annual capacity of 90,000 tons and is starting full-scale operation. The plant is expected to play a crucial role in laying the groundwork as the company grows as a top-tier battery material producer, acclaimed for its production capacity, product diversification, and high-quality products and materials.

The newly constructed cathode material plant is expected to boost the annual production capacity from 30,000 tons to 90,000 tons and it has the world’s largest production capacity based on a single plant. This annual production capacity is equivalent to the amount of cathode materials needed to produce batteries for 1 million high-performance electric vehicles.

The Gwangyang plant will specialize in producing *high-nickel NCMA and NCM cathodes, which are next-generation electric vehicle battery materials and supply them to global battery makers and automakers. In the future, the company plans to respond flexibly to changing market demands by introducing a wide range of product lines including *high-nickel single particle cathodes, NCA cathodes, and Cathode Materials for Energy Storage System.

The cathode plant was enlarged over four years and three months following a 4-step process, which took into account the condition of the market and the status of contracts, with the first step being breaking ground for a production plant with an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons in August of 2018. The site has a total area of 165,203 square meters

The Gwangyang plant has evolved into a smart factory that enables faster and more efficient production of high-quality products, thanks to POSCO Chemical’s accumulated know-how and technological expertise and POSCO Group’s manufacturing, construction, and ICT prowess.

With the completion of the Gwangyang plant which has a 90,000-ton production capacity annually, POSCO Chemical has secured a total of 105,000 tons of cathode material production capacity, including the 10,000 tons from Gumi plant and 5,000 tons from its joint ZPHE plant in China. In addition, the company is currently building a 60,000-ton Pohang plant, a 30,000-ton ZPHE plant in China, and a 30,000-ton GM joint plant in Canada.

High-nickel NCMA and NCM cathodes: materials made using nickel, cobalt, manganese and aluminum, with a high proportion of nickel to increase battery capacity

High-nickel single particle cathodes: materials with an integrated structure to maximize the proportion of nickel while increasing strength and thermal stability, used in both NCM and NCMA.

NCA cathodes: material made with nickel, cobalt, and aluminum, with a high proportion of nickel.

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